Wednesday, June 23, 2021
B1
SPORTS
MOUNTAIN HIGH BRONCS & BULLS
Gabe McKay highlights rodeo fi eld
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Two years
ago was Gabe McKay’s fi rst run
at Mountain High Broncs & Bulls.
It was a profi table day, as the
saddle bronc rider from Juntura
won the ranch bronc riding during
the 2019 event.
McKay is back for an encore
performance when Broncs &
Bulls returns to the Wallowa
County Fairgrounds on Saturday,
June 26, after a year’s hiatus due
to the pandemic.
“I’d heard about it in the prior
years, but I’m drawn to the rodeo
because it’s got good money
added, and it’s just a fun time
being able to get on a good horse,”
McKay said. “I like that area up
there. It’s beautiful up there this
time of year. It’s a fun time.”
The rodeo, now in its 16th year,
has three main events packed into
the afternoon — three rounds
each of bull riding, wild horse
racing and ranch bronc riding.
Rodeo announcer Lee Daggett
also said there will be about 25
mutton busters, a handful of wild
pony racers — wild horse racing,
but for youths on smaller animals
— a drill team featuring members
from the Lewiston Roundup, and
$20 the hard way for youth — a
spin off of $100 the hard way, but
again on a smaller animal. The
day wraps up after the rodeo with
what Daggett called bull poker.
The event, which starts at 3 p.m.,
is free to the public.
“The big thing is it’s free
admission,” Daggett said. “We’ve
had huge community support
See Rodeo, Page B9
RUNNING FOR TOKYO
Former EHS standout
David Ribich to
compete for spot in
Olympic Games
ON TELEVISION
NBC and NBCSN are televising
the Olympic Track and Field Tri-
als. NBCSN has coverage sched-
uled from 6-9 p.m. Thursday,
June 24, and 2-5 p.m. Friday.
NBC’s coverage is 6-8 p.m. Sat-
urday and 4-5:30 Sunday.
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
Ribich races at 6:04 p.m. Thurs-
day, at 4:05 p.m. Friday if he
reaches the semifi nals, and at
5:10 p.m. Sunday if he reaches
the fi nals.
E
NTERPRISE — David
Ribich is set to make a run
for the 2021 Olympics.
The former Enterprise
High School and Western Oregon
University standout will compete
at the U.S. Olympic Trials inside
Eugene’s Hayward Field, vying to
earn one of three spots in the men’s
1,500-meter run to the Summer
Olympic Games, which start next
month in Tokyo.
The trials started June 18 and
run through June 27. Ribich takes
to the track for the fi rst time Thurs-
day, June 24 in the fi rst round of the
1,500.
Competing in the trials has been
a lifelong goal for Ribich, and he
knows garnering one of those
coveted top three spots will be a
challenge.
“It’s going to be one of the hard-
est teams to make for Tokyo,”
he said, speaking of a fi eld that
includes Matthew Centrowitz, the
reigning Olympic champion in the
1,500. “Going into that race, it’ll be
a tall order.”
Ribich enters the trials as an
underdog, and as such, feels no
pressure.
“I approach it just like that,” he
said of the dark horse role. “Try not
to make it a bigger deal than it is.
… Taking it one moment at a time
and letting myself be present in that
race is what it’s about.”
He is ranked 28th out of 30
Jenny Reinheardt/Contributed Photo
David Ribich, shown competing at the Portland Track Festival in May,
runs his fi rst race in the Olympic Trials at Eugene’s Hayward Field on
Thursday, June 24, 2021.
competitors in the 1,500 with a
qualifying time of 3:37.44. He said,
though, that time was from June
2019, and that since, he has been
keeping up with some of the top-
seeded runners in the race, includ-
ing his Brooks Beasts Track Club
teammate Henry Wynne.
“I’ve been working closely with
him the last four months,” Ribich
said of Wynne.
Wynne has the third-best qual-
ifying time at 3:34.08, and Ribich
said in training, “We’re not sepa-
rated by more than a few decimals.”
Centrowitz has the top qualify-
ing time at 3:32.81. His winning
time in 2016 was 3:50.00.
Competitors will have to make
it through two rounds of the race
just to reach the 1,500 fi nal. The
semifi nal race is June 25, and the
fi nal is June 27. Of the 30 initial
runners, 24 will reach the semifi -
nals, but the fi eld will be cut in half
to 12 for the fi nal race.
“First round is pretty much stay
clear of contact (with other run-
ners),” he said, calling the semifi -
nal race much more “cutthroat.”
He also plans to adopt a game
plan that allowed him to run a per-
sonal best in the 5,000 at the Port-
land Track Festival last month and
come within about a second of
reaching the trials in that race.
“I’ve had race plans going into
races, and more often than not
I’ve failed them,” he said. “My
race plan (last month) was to run
through the race and respond on
instinct.”
He said he won’t be trailing any
specifi c runners, but instead will be
looking for a key moment in the
race — maybe “an opening or gap
that needs to be fi lled, or a moment
where it’s time for me to take the
lead.”
“If I can be on in that moment,
I think I could have a pretty deadly
maneuver to put myself in posi-
tion,” he said, saying he needs to
be hunting for that opportunity.
Ribich said it is “tough to say”
what impact the coronavirus pan-
demic had on his training. On one
hand, he was reaching a spike in
his training program where most
athletes under his coach take off .
On the other hand, the shutdown
enabled him to focus on his health.
See Tokyo, Page B9
VOLLEYBALL
Four named
to all-state
team
Young, Johnston represent Wallowa in all-star match
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Four mem-
bers of Wallowa Valley’s third-
place team were named to the 3A
all-state baseball team, and one
took part in an all-star game Tues-
day, June 22, at Volcano Stadium
in Keizer.
Flynn Nave, the Eagles’ short-
stop and pitcher, played in the
all-star game. Trace Evans, Zeb
Ramsden and David Salim all
qualifi ed, but have other events
taking place that weekend, head
coach Mark Ramsden said.
Nave, Evans and Salim
all were named fi rst-team all-
See Baseball, Page B9
Chieftain staff
NORTH POWDER — Mason
Ferre had a game to remember
Monday, June 21, in the fi rst game
of the 1A boys state basketball
tournament.
The Joseph senior scored 39
points, including 26 points in the
second half, as the Eagles rallied
from a 14-point defi cit to take down
Siletz Valley, 61-41, to reach the
quarterfi nals.
“I was just really proud of my
team to not fold or hold their heads
(down) when they got down bad,”
head coach Olan Fulfer said.
The Eagles trailed 16-7 after one,
and the lead grew to 21-7 before
Siletz settled for a 23-18 lead at the
half.
The second half was all Joseph,
led by Ferre. He hit four 3-pointers
and had 16 points in the third quarter
alone, pushing the Eagles ahead after
three, 42-36. A 19-5 fourth quarter,
with Ferre adding 10 more points,
turned the lead into a blowout.
“They couldn’t guard him,”
Fulfer said of Ferre, who fi nished
with eight 3-pointers on the night.
James Burney added seven
points for Joseph.
The Eagles (11-2 overall) faced
Nixyaawii at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and
plays Wednesday and Thursday.
Games are in Baker City and North
Powder.
Eagles fall at home to Badgers
The Eagles’ fi nal regular-sea-
son home game was a struggle as
Joseph lost to Powder Valley, 59-47,
on June 17.
The Eagles led by four at half-
time, but the Badgers took a 42-40
lead after three quarters and out-
scored Joseph 17-7 in the fi nal quar-
ter to pull away.
Mason Ferre scored a team-high
21 points for the Eagles, including
13 in the fi rst half. Chase Murray
added 18 points.
Joseph stops Crane
A day earlier, the Eagles locked
down Crane defensively to grab
a 46-32 victory over the Mus-
tangs June 16 in a game played in
Enterprise.
Mason Ferre went off , scoring
25 points, including 14 in the sec-
ond half. Chase Murray added eight
points.
Outlaws end with a loss
BASEBALL
Flynn Nave played
in all-star game
Tuesday in Keizer
Joseph
opens state
tournament
with a win
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
LA GRANDE — Ashlyn
Young and Jamie Johnston had
worn the Wallowa volleyball uni-
form for the last time when their
season — and their high school
volleyball careers — ended with
a loss to to eventual champion St.
Paul in the 1A playoff s in 2019.
Or so they thought.
They had an unexpected oppor-
tunity to don the black and orange
again Saturday, June 19, at the
Oregon All-Star Match at Eastern
Oregon University in La Grande.
“It was weird. My senior year,
I thought it was the last time I was
ever going to wear (a) Wallowa
jersey again,” Johnston said.
Johnston and Young, both
2020 graduates of Wallowa, were
invited to be a part of the annual
event partly due to the fact their
chance to compete a year ago was
wiped out by COVID-19.
“I was really excited, and
really felt honored that they
opened it back up,” Young said.
The Enterprise boys basketball
team ended its season with a home
52-43 loss to Crane on Wednesday,
June 16.
David Salim led the Outlaws
with 18 points, and Jackson Decker
added 13 points.
Enterprise fi nished with a record
of 3-8 overall.
Crane girls down Enterprise
it was really nice.”
The two were part of “Team
Hiller” coached by St. Paul head
coach Lesli Hiller, which took
second on the day and split its two
matches. The team swept “Team
Teeter” coached by Imbler’s Jen-
Kelsie Siegner scored 22 points
and was one of four Crane players
in double fi gures as the Mustangs
ended Enterprise’s season Wednes-
day, June 16, by handing them a
68-35 loss.
Crane put the game away
quickly, taking a 14-point lead after
one quarter and extending it to 36-14
by halftime.
Enterprise, which fi nished with
a record of 5-5 overall, was led by
Asiya Salim, who poured in 16
points, including eight in a third
quarter where the Outlaws scored
more points (15) than they did the
entire fi rst half. Grace Collins added
fi ve points.
The matchup pit two 500-win
coaches against each other: Mike
Crawford of Enterprise and Stub
Travis of Crane.
See Volleyball, Page B9
See Roundup, Page B9
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain
Ashlyn Young (3) and Jamie Johnston (21), 2020 graduates of Wallowa
High School, were given an opportunity to take part in the Oregon
All-Star Volleyball Match Saturday, June 19, 2021, at Eastern Oregon
University.
“Because I know I myself was
really bummed out, and what I
looked forward to at the end of
my senior year since we didn’t
make it to the state championship
was getting to come back and play
in the all-star game. Them open-
ing it back up gave me a chance to
relive the sport I love the most —
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